Sixteen

An overwhelming joy surged through Xiao Yun ever since Ms. Bao had delivered Queen Zaiye's message. He couldn't stop smiling. The fortune he had dreamed of for so long was finally within his grasp.

When had Xiao Yun ever been told to demolish his house and build a new one of his choosing? When had he ever been asked to pick the profession he desired or even choose the car he wanted to drive? He was nearly dancing with excitement right in front of Ms. Bao. And once she left, he couldn't hold back any longer....he really did dance.

Cunxin watched him with quiet awe, silently grateful she hadn't left the house too soon. It turned out she, too, would benefit from this blessing. After his joy settled, Xiao Yun turned to her and asked, "Where's Zhan? Call him for me....I need to tell him to start getting ready. He's only got three weeks left in this house."

"I'm not sure if he's even around," Cunxin replied. "I heard him early this morning, bustling with the kids, probably getting ready for school."

Xiao Yun's face tightened. "So, he didn't hear me? He ignored my order not to go to school? We'll see about that. I'll meet him there....right now."

Without another word, he slipped on his shoes and stormed out of the house, heading straight for the school. He couldn't shake the feeling that Zhan was about to cost him something big....and he wasn't going to let that happen.

Lately, Zhan's days at school had been aimless. He barely moved from where he sat, often slumped over his desk, face-down, disconnected from everything around him.

The storm inside him felt unbearable. He couldn't understand how his father had agreed to such a bizarre plan. How could he accept something so immature and reckless....all for wealth?

Nalan, too, found herself increasingly distracted. Though she and Zhan rarely spoke, she always used to see him buried in a book, focused, engaged. They weren't friends, but they had been academic rivals, racing to answer questions in class and turning in assignments at the same time. Even if Zhan didn't do it for her, his absence in that role now left a strange emptiness.

After nearly an hour passed without him moving, Nalan finally nudged Hainan, seated beside her. "Hey... what's going on with Zhan lately?"

Hainan blinked, surprised. She had never once heard Nalan call him by name.

"No idea," she replied. "Did someone tell him anything?"

They both looked over at Zhan, still hunched over the bench. "He looks like he's really going through something," Nalan whispered.

Hainan glanced at her over the top of her notebook. "And why does that bother you so much?"

Nalan shrugged. "I don't know," she said, dropping the subject....but her eyes never strayed far from Zhan's seat, right up until a message came summoning him to the principal's office.

Zhan was stunned. He had never done anything wrong....certainly nothing worthy of being summoned. Still, he stood, adjusted his uniform listlessly, and dragged his feet out of the class room.

Shortly afterward, Xin Xin returned from the restroom, stifling laughter.

"You won't believe what I just saw," she said.

Hainan looked up."What now?"

"Something sad but also kind of hilarious," Xin Xin began. "Nalan's guy... he's in the principal's office crying his eyes out. His dad showed up to pull him out of school. Says he's getting married. An arranged marriage. And have you seen his dad? He looks like someone who sells boiled corn on the street. Honestly, our gardener is better looking than that man. And you could just tell he was his father...exactly the same face."

Laughter erupted across the room, but Nalan just stared at them, silent. She felt something shift inside her....pity for Zhan. So it was true. He wasn't from a well-off family. And this was what had been weighing on him.

Why would his father pull him out now, after all his dedication? Zhan was the top student in their class...always leading every group, and she was always backing him up in second place. Had his father simply grown tired of paying school fees? Based on Xin Xin's description, that actually made sense.

"Hey, your man's crying, you know?" Hainan teased, nudging Nalan with a smirk.

Nalan shot her a look. "I heard. But I don't think it's funny. He's one of us, and we could just as easily end up in his position."

The others went quiet, surprised by her tone.

"You're shocked?" she continued. "Zhan has never wronged a single one of us. If someone lined us all up and asked what he'd ever done to deserve mistreatment, none of us could answer. In fact, we've been the ones bullying him, and he's never once pushed back."

Just then, Zhan walked back into the class, and her words trailed off.

One look at him and it was clear...he'd been crying, hard. He went straight to his seat and resumed the same defeated posture he'd had earlier.

Even after all the lessons ended and students began to leave, he didn't raise his head. It was only after almost everyone had gone that he slowly packed his bag and left, dragging himself out of the room.

Despite the intense heat of the day that had most people exhausted, Zhan felt nothing. The turmoil and sorrow boiling inside him were far greater than the sun's scorch. His mind couldn't grasp how his own father could be the one orchestrating the destruction of his life.

What kind of heartless rulers were these? Those who cared for nothing but their own power, blind to the needs of others. So all the praise people gave the Tianjin Royal Palace saying "Tianjin stands for justice, and anyone seeking fairness will find it there"....was nothing but lies?

And here he was, asking for nothing but justice from them. If this cruel arrangement truly came from the Tianjin palace, and if Nalan really belonged to that bloodline, then their very nature told him everything....these were people who cloaked oppression in silk and called it duty.

If only the dead could return. If only his mother could come back and see the state he'd been left in. If only Aunt Anu, who had once stood by him, could be here to pull him out of this spiral, to bring him peace and hope.

He kept walking aimlessly, unaware of where his feet were leading him....until he suddenly found himself ankle-deep in water. Snapping back to reality, he looked around and realized he'd wandered into a drainage channel near the roadside. Just then, a car approached.

From a distance, Nalan recognized the boy. Slowly, she instructed the driver to pull over. As the car stopped, she opened the door herself and stepped out, approaching him. Zhan was still trying to walk, dragging his soaked feet along, not caring that he was now splashing through roadside puddles.

A gentle grip on his arm made him pause.

"Xiao Zhan," she called softly.

The sound of his name made him turn instinctively, expecting it to be a classmate. But surprise filled his face when he saw Wang Nalan of the Tianjin Palace standing there, looking at him with a mix of concern and disbelief.

"What are you doing in the ditch, Zhan? Why didn't you just take the car home if you're not feeling well?"

He shook his head. "It's nothing. I'll get home soon."

But Nalan knew he was lying. Even without asking, she knew how far his neighborhood was from the school.

"At least rinse yourself off...you shouldn't be walking around like this."

Without waiting for his reply, she turned and called toward the car. Her driver quickly came forward, holding two large bottles of water.

Zhan's jaw dropped in disbelief as he watched Nalan crack open a bottle and begin pouring it over the mud-smeared part of his uniform, not minding her hands or his discomfort. Instinctively, he grabbed her wrist.

"Let me....I'll do it myself."

She smiled but didn't argue, handing him the bottle and letting him continue while she poured more water. Occasionally, Nalan stole glances at Zhan, her heart aching for him. She had always hated the idea of force marriage....even in books, the mention of it made her put the story down. She would never forget the fight that broke out in her own family when His Majesty tried to force her older sister into a political marriage. The stress it caused nearly broke them all.... thankfully, it was called off when the man married someone else.

Now fully rinsed, Zhan wrung out the bottom of his shirt, then looked up and muttered, "Thank you," his voice low and uncertain. He looked at Nalan, confused. What had changed in her? He had never imagined someone like her could show this kind of gentleness or compassion.

"It's nothing. Come on, get in the car.... we'll drop you off."

Zhan hesitated, glancing from her to the car, his throat tightening. Maybe Nalan really was from the Tianjin royal family, but did she even know what was being planned? Maybe she had no clue what was going on. Maybe, if he told her how he now hated everything associated with that palace, she wouldn't even blame him. After all, she seemed genuinely unaware.

"Don't worry about me. I'll walk. I don't want to mess up your car...I'm soaking wet. Thank you again."

He began to walk away. But she stepped in front of him, blocking his path.

"Please, just get in the car. Don't turn down kindness....not now."

Her words pierced something in him. Slowly, he relented. She opened the door for him, and only once he climbed in did she follow.

As the car moved, a soft, cool breeze from the AC began to dry the sweat and grime clinging to Zhan's skin. He leaned back into the seat, eyes closed, savoring the unfamiliar comfort. It had been so long since he'd felt something like this....since the days Aunt Anu had still been in his life.

For a few moments, it didn't even feel like they were driving on asphalt. It felt like they were gliding through air.

"Forgive me for interfering, Zhan. Even though I was just sitting when I heard about it, I don't know whether it's true or not. But if it's really true that they're trying to force you into a marriage you don't want, come with me....I'll take you to my father. I'm sure he will stop it. In fact, from our household to the entire city, forced marriage has been forbidden ever since it nearly happened to my sister."

Zhan looked at Nalan with surprise. So, she was the biological daughter of the King of Tianjin? That meant she was related to the Prince he was being forced to marry? Were they half-siblings, full siblings? He couldn't tell. Nalan didn't even seem to know the details of the situation, yet she was willing to help him get justice. Was justice truly possible within this royal family, and yet it had evaded him entirely? Where exactly was the problem rooted?

"Don't worry. It's fine. Thank you for your concern," he replied simply. Even if the root of his problems didn't lie directly with her family, he couldn't imagine taking his own father to court over being forced into a marriage with another man, regardless of how terrible it felt.

They didn't drop him off along the road like Nalan had originally said. Instead, they took him all the way to the entrance of his neighborhood.

"Thank you," he said again, looking at Nalan. She smiled and replied, "It's nothing."

As they drove away, Nalan kept her eyes on his neighborhood, visibly struck by how different it was from hers. A part of her heart was swelling with sympathy for Zhan. She realized how wrong she had been to treat him coldly in the past....a boy who had never once spoken harshly to her, never retaliated.

🔹▪️🔸▫️

In a private moment she set aside for family matters, Queen Zaiye was seated in her luxurious private lounge. She wore a flowing robe with a matching headpiece made of soft, silky fabric. Nalan lay with her head on her mother's lap, idly holding her phone, though her attention wasn't really on it. She was recounting the story of Zhan, and everything he had been through, despite never having shared such a serious topic with her mother before.

Eventually, Queen Zaiye, growing weary of her daughter's emotional storytelling, said, "You've done what you can, Nalan. He already said it's fine and thanked you."

With a pout, the kind only the youngest children use with their parents, Nalan replied, "But I feel sorry for him, Mum. We used to be at odds, but now... I honestly just pity him."

"Alright then," the queen responded, "keep rubbing my leg like that so I can relax."

At that moment, one of the court ladies appeared at the door and waited silently for permission to speak. Queen Zaiye turned to Nalan and said, "When you leave, let her in."

Nalan nodded, adjusted her robe, and stepped out. The court lady entered immediately.

"May you live long, Your highness. Ms. Bao has arrived as requested."

"Let her in."

"Yes, Your highness. Thank you." The court lady exited.

Moments later, Ms. Bao entered the lounge.

Without delay, Queen Zaiye explained the purpose of her summons:

"First, we need you to notify them that they'll soon be moved into the temporary residence while their permanent house is completed. Before the wedding, the boy will be brought into a designated home. I want him to undergo extensive training.... corrections, grooming.... the kind no one has received in years. Though he was chosen for this role temporarily, he will be linked to royal blood. He is the future king's partner, so he must be shaped entirely....his manner, his speech, his behavior.....so that the Prince will feel completely at ease around him.

"He must forget who he was. He doesn't need to learn how to live with the Prince....his only purpose is to fulfill his role, nothing more. The Prince has people for everything else. I don't even want him trained in wifely duties. That is not necessary.

"Next, inform them that they must state the exact value they wish to receive as his marriage dowry....any amount at all. Whatever they want from now until the end of their agreement, we will pay it. The only condition is: once the union ends, they must act as though their son never married Yibo, the Crown Prince of Tianjin. We want a permanent severance. He must live his life as if it never happened....without even a trace of memory. That is the core of our agreement. Violating this would be catastrophic."

She paused to catch her breath.

Ms. Bao added, "This is the first condition I explained to his father, and he fully agreed....one hundred percent."

Queen Zaiye nodded, calm and composed. "Even in our dreams, we don't want their son to come to us with anything. We only want him, and only him."

"Finally," she continued, "the wedding will take place in the Henan royal court among my family....not Tianjin's. After that, the boy will be moved to the designated residence for one year. He will not leave until that year is over."

"Understood, Your highness." Ms. Bao replied. "I will deliver this message immediately. Also, the boy came to me today to request one condition be added to the contract. He wants an agreement between him and his father....ensuring that after he's gone, his younger siblings will still be fed, schooled, and cared for, just as any responsible father should do. He's asking that Your Highness be a witness to this and that his father be held accountable if he fails."

Ms. Bao adjusted herself and continued, "You know the boy....he's not selfish. He has excluded his siblings from everything in this process. He's sacrificing his happiness just so they can have a better life. That's why, Your Highness, I will personally monitor his father. If I see him neglect his children, I'll make sure he either loses custody or went to jail."

Queen Zaiye nodded again, something like sympathy flickering across her expression....perhaps for the first time, she truly felt a hint of compassion for Zhan.

"Good. I want a picture of him so I can send it to the Prince and show him our selection. The day after tomorrow, he'll leave his family home and move into the residence we prepared. We'll send a photographer. I also want you to be one of his primary caretakers until they depart for Henan. As your reward, choose anything you want in this world. Once we secure him, it will be yours. And as for the boy's father....whether or not we need him....he will receive a formal warning and be required to sign the agreement, just as his son requested."

"Thank you.... your generosity is beyond words. My mouth is too small to express my gratitude. Truly, Queen, there are no words worthy enough," Ms. Bao said, overwhelmed with emotion and pure joy.

🔹▪️🔸▫️

It was two-thirty in the morning, yet anyone observing Zhan might think it was midday. His eyes were wide open, dry and restless.... sleep had abandoned him completely, despite his usual skill in pretending to be calm.

Though he had come to Ms. Bao's home himself and verbally agreed, it was a forced acceptance....an ultimatum he couldn't escape. At least he had chosen to use the opportunity to secure a better future for his younger siblings. Still, his mind kept spiraling back to the words his father had etched into his memory just a few hours earlier around eight o'clock.

His father had sold him. He had made a transaction....those were the simplest words that could describe what had happened. The speech about the empire's "needs" and his supposed duty only veiled the truth: Zhan was being traded, like a product.

The entire conversation felt like something pulled from a script....a fictional drama, not real life. These rules, these "terms," felt more like the contract of a man being purchased as a servant, not the son of anyone. Where could he even begin to process this? How could any of it be possible?

He glanced over his sleeping siblings, unaware of the storm brewing over their heads. How could he possibly leave these children behind....children better described as orphans? How would they survive without him? Who would take care of them? Katti? Cunxin? Their father.... the man who cared so little about them that he'd dismissed their welfare as nothing more than "a change of lodging, food, and clothing"?

A crawling, biting sensation ran through Zhan's mind like insects scurrying across his thoughts. He began pacing between his siblings, back and forth from wall to wall in the small room. The urge to flee seized him....run from the house, run from the city and the country altogether. He turned abruptly and slipped out of the room, quietly making his way to the front door.

But as he opened it, he was greeted by nothing but thick darkness and the howls of stray dogs that echoed through the neighborhood. "Who will you leave them with?" came the question from somewhere deep within, freezing him in place. He slowly shut the door again and dragged his feet back inside.

Instead of returning to the room, he walked toward the bathroom.

As dawn began to break, sleep finally claimed Zhan against his will, though he resisted it with every fiber of his being.

It was obvious from the look on his face that peace had not visited him. Every time one of the children moved near him, his eyes followed them with deep sorrow. He didn't yet know that their father had already told them he was getting married. The news had shaken them all.

While Zhan sat lost in thought, the children suddenly surrounded him in a quiet circle. His chest tightened....he feared what he was already imagining. He asked them gently if everything was alright.

"So it's true, Gege? Baba said you're getting married. You're really going to leave us, and we won't see you again?" asked Chou, her voice small and trembling with quiet resignation.

Zhan could only look at each of them, one after the other. He rehearsed the words he wanted to say, but the looks on their faces crushed every bit of resolve he had. The sorrow in his heart doubled. The courage he had mustered dissolved. He was speechless.

Then, for the first time in his life, he let them see his tears....tears he had kept hidden for years. For the first time, he let his vulnerability show in front of them. No hardship, no weight had ever made him break....not until this moment. Because he knew he was their only strength, their only hope. And the last thing he ever wanted was to take that hope away from them...😭😭😭

Zhanxianyibo💚❤️💛